Burnt Ends

[Neil]

Does anyone out there make Burnt Tips when smoking a brisket? I haven't read much about the how to's and was wondring how to! I usually just chop and shread my brisket point for chili but would like to try the Burnt Tip with one. So if any of you do this, lets hear how it's done.

 

[chad]

RE: Burnt Tips

Actually, it's burnt ends!

They are a "natural" progression in the cooking of a brisket. The edges and "corners" will tend to get "overdone" and these are the burnt ends. You can also seperate the flat from the point when it's done and put the point back in the heat to develop more "bark" and burnt ends.

 

[kcquer]

RE: Burnt Tips

Neil, Burnt Ends, as they're called here, are my favorite, so I'll tell you what I know.
Traditionally, BE's would be made from the point of a brisket cooked whole. When the flat is done, the two are separated and the point is trimmed of excess fat and any developed bark, rerubbed and cooked another 4-6 hrs. This is how they are best, but not the only way to do it.
Burnt Ends are just cubes of cooked point (ocassionally you'll find a few chunks of flat thrown in as well). When a point is done its quite squishy, you want to cook it a little longer than that, until it starts to firm up a bit again. Not too much longer or they'll be too dry. A real (KC style anyway) end should be on the verge of dry, VERY smoky and best with a little sauce (spicy for me).
You can separate the flat and point before you begin to cook and get a decent end, but the very best stuff will come from a resmoked point.
Best of luck!!

 

[kcquer]

RE: Burnt Tips

Actually, it's burnt ends!

Around here you'll see the terms, tips, burnt ends, and brownies all used. All mean the same thing, brisket heaven!!

 

[Neil]

RE: Burnt Tips

I am going to try it this weekend since I have a nice sized point in the fridge from the 14#er I smoked last weekend.

What size should the "cubes" be or does it really matter? I remember seeing on TV where they went to Arthur Bryant's in KC and they showed them pouring copious amounts of sauce over the BE's in foil pan then back in the smoker for a while. How much longer after you cube the point do you cook it further?

 

[MoKanMeathead]

RE: Burnt Tips

Neil,

We actually turn in burnt ends with our slices at competitions. Sometimes we do well sometimes not.

We will separate the point from the flat before we cook it. The point will go in a couple of hours before the flat. About the time we take the flat out for a rest in the cooler we will chunk up the point (maybe 3/4" to 1-1/4" chunks), re-season them and put them back in the smoker while the flat is resting. We will add a sauce right before turn-in to the slices and the burnt ends.

My favorite part of the brisket.

 

[Neil]

RE: Burnt Tips

Thank you Meathead, that's what I will do this weekend.

 

[kcquer]

RE: Burnt Tips

Neil, the trick is to cook the point long enough to render out the large amount of collagen and fat in the point so it doesn't taste greasy, yet not get it totally dried out.

BTW-your thread got my BE jones going, had to order some from the local Q-joint last night 8) mmmmmm 8)

 

[Arlin_MacRae]

RE: Burnt Tips

I've been successful making BE's a couple of times and they just ROCK. Yeah they're a little dry, a little hard, but break 'em up and slather 'em with sauce? YEE-HA!

 

[YLBILL]

RE: Burnt Tips

OK that does it!! Thanks alot guys! I wasn't gonna cook this weekend so I could sleep in, but between the Fatty thread and this one I'm starvin'! On my way to the store now, start smokin' @ 5AM. Sleep is overated anyway.

 

[Neil]

RE: Burnt Tips

I threw that point I smoked last weekend into the oven this morning for a couple of hours foiled at 200*. I then removed all of the fat and cubed the meat. Sunday afternoon after I get back from DeKalb I will re rub the cubes and smoke for a couple of hours on the Weber Performer then add sauce. Looking forward to Sunday evening.

 

[Wayne]

RE: Burnt Tips

Great thread, I usually only slice off the overdone crusty parts and call them burnt ends, but this adds some refinement and opportunity for experimentation to the brisket process. Cant wait to try making burnt ends out of the point.

 

[BigAl]

RE: Burnt Tips

I saw the BE from OK Joe's in KC on the food show. They cook the whole Brisket and when the flat is at their "secret temp", they cut off the point and re-rup and smoke the point 3-4 more hrs (no Probe this is where the pit boss experience comes into play). Then trim off the fat and the cut the point into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes, pour on their sauce and serve. It is their best seller according to the owner. The owner said they had tried smaller cubes but the customers like the bigger cubes better, they like to have something to chew was his guess.

 

[Neil]

RE: Burnt Tips

Made the burnt ends last night and they were fantastick. I'll be cooking whole packers from now on just so I can do the burnt ends with the point.

 

[thillin]

Re: RE: Burnt Tips

Made the burnt ends last night and they were fantastick. I'll be cooking whole packers from now on just so I can do the burnt ends with the point.

Where's the pics? 8)

 

[Neil]

Re: RE: Burnt Tips

Made the burnt ends last night and they were fantastick. I'll be cooking whole packers from now on just so I can do the burnt ends with the point.

Where's the pics? 8)

LOL! Don't even go there. I won't have time to learn how to resize until after the move.

 

[tommykendall]

RE: Re: RE: Burnt Tips

I personally don't care too much for burnt ends which is why I cover the first inch or so of the flat with "foil" once the brisket hits about 160. I do the same with ribs - don't like the ends getting a little burned up - waste.

 

[nucleargeek]

MMMMMMM....burnt ends....my favorite

 

[kcquer]

I personally don't care too much for burnt ends which is why I cover the first inch or so of the flat with "foil" once the brisket hits about 160.

tk, please allow me to clarify some things, first burnt ends are not burnt, nor are they really ends. They're just chopped cubes of brisket point. They originated in Q joints where packers are cooked for thinly sliced sandwich style BBQ dinners (open faced most places in KC).
You of course know that if you cook a packer until the point is rendered enough to not be greasy, that the flat will be way over cooked. To prevent this resturantuers split the brisket when the flat is perfect and return the point to the pit to finish cooking it. Once cooled a bit, the point will take on additional smoke on all surfaces, especially the one formerly covered by the flat.
This second layer of smoke flavor is where the term "burnt" comes from.
Misconceptions of the name burnt ends, is why a lot of places opt to use the term brownie or tips on their menus instead.

 

[tommykendall]

Shoot me in the foot KC. Thanks. Never knew that chit.